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Friday, July 24, 2009

Critique Sessions are a GO!

Judging by the poll on the sidebar, critique sessions seem like something everyone would like to try out. So, let's try it!

First, what this is NOT:

This is NOT going to be a snarky, point-out-every-wrong-detail critique by anyone

This is NOT going to be a win-a-prize thing...I ain't got no prizes!

This is NOT going to be a critique with lots of pressure

Second, what this is:

This is a chance to get feedback from fellow writers

This is a chance to see reactions from readers to your writing

This is a chance to know what you're doing RIGHT...and what could be improved

What to enter: Your query pitch and/or your first 250 words of your manuscript. These are the first two things an agent/editor will read, so making them good is essential.

Who can enter: ANYONE. I don't care if it's finished, what genre it is, anything. Just send it.

What will the critiques entail? Basically, I'd like for each critique to answer the simple question: would I want to read more or not? I don't intend these to be line-by-line critiques--just a simple yes or no...but if the answer is no, I wouldn't want to read more, then a short explanation as to what point made me (and the other critiquers) quit reading.

Who will critique? Everyone on the blog who wants to. I'll post the entry here. All critiques--including my own--will go in comment box.

How do you enter? Email me (bethrevis at gmail.com) your submission. Please include the following information:

How long will this last? Depending on interest, I'm thinking we can do 1-2 of these every day next week. I hope that if we keep the number posted per day low, then people can go a little more in-depth and be more thoughtful than if I posted everything at once (which has a tendency to overwhelm people and make them skim).

How many entries will be taken? This might vary, but I really only want to do a few each day next week and then stop. If there's overwhelming interest, that may change, but as of now, that's the plan. This may mean that if I get 20, I'll only post the first 10. Sorry--but if there's a ton on here, people lose interest or just start repeating themselves in the comments.

Will there be another critique session in the future? *shrug* I dunno. Let's see how well this one goes.

ETA: Just to clarify: you can chose whether or not you want to be anonymous--entirely up to you. Also, feel free to send your query, your first 250 words, or BOTH--you decide what and how much you want to share!